Paul33

Can't ask more of the lads !

Is it not the wage cap that Lerner has enforced that is the issue rather than the available transfer kitty ?

Is it not the case that Lambert has spent money but only been able to buy players who fit Lerner's enforced salary cap ..... ie: lower division players ?

Was it not the enforcement of the wage cap that, in effect, caused MON to depart ?

Is it not the case that Lerner wants to run a break-even Premiership club and is it not the case that this is actually impossible ?

I have a hunch that Lambert isn't the real problem here as he is being asked to manage at the top level but without being allowed to pay top level wages.

Lerner either backs Lambert with money or gets rid and gambles on a new motivational/tactical force.

At the moment he appears to be backing him but refusing to give him the players he needs ...... that's stupid.

Personally, the alarming tactical failings in recent games suggest Lambert has lost either the support of the players or the ability to coach at this level in this situation ...... or both.

110% guaranteed relegation as things stand ...... we could even fail to pick up another point and finish last !

Shaun Teale on Twitter saying "AVFC where's your **** pride?" #nuffsaid

Why did Lambert take Bennett off? He was one of our better players .

**** me you are kidding right ?

Not only Villa's worst player tonight but he's been the worst player several games running. On tonight's showing he'd not make Bradford's side !!!!

I don't get the tactics tonight ?

Why did we play multi-passing tippy-tappy keep ball down the middle of the pitch against a League Two side who must have been laughing at our failure to play with width and exposing them to the pace of CNZ, Gabby and (in theory) our full backs ? Every time we got wide, we just turned back inside again ..... it was like they had been told "do not play anywhere near the flanks" !

Certain players were shockingly poor tonight (Bannan, Bennett in particular) but above all else it had to be Lambert's plan that they played to and that plan was totally wrong ....... a complete tactical disaster and worthy of him (and his coaching team) losing their jobs.

That was certain relegation material so, for me ...... LAMBERT OUT !

The thing is, we don't want N'Zogbia crossing. That is not and has never been his game. That's a large part of why his first year or so with us went so poorly, because he was stuck on the wing and expected to put crosses in. Anytime he has ever been in fine form, like at Wigan, it is playing in a free central role behind the strikers. What we need him to be doing on Tuesday is making key passes in the final third just like those that set up Gabby and Benteke against Albion, and if the opportunity presents itself, take some shots on goal.

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I find the Premiership boring now that success can never be more than making the top 10 (big deal !) or finishing above the bagwash (bigger deal !) and I'd love to visit some of the Championship grounds as well as have the potential excitement of play-offs and promotion but ...... financially it would be a likely disaster so its a no-brainer for me - we have to get the job done !

Lost it in midfield where we were weak ..... otherwise a much better performance.

Fonz has all the skills but he is mentally very weak and even quite troubled by being on the big stage. In my books, he has zero chance of making it in the top flight.

Not optimistic - sometimes not even proud of what we serve up - but I'm 110% Villa, always have been, always will be and at times like this we have to get over the knocks and be behind them for the next game !

UTV

We lacked quality - especially at the back. Improved in second half and at least showed the sort of battling determination that we really need to be starting with now. Better game from Delph was a shocker for me ..... fair do's to the lad !

Lambert needs to realise now that playing a meticulous passing game is fine if you have the assets on the pitch that the likes of Chelsea have but we have inexperienced and nervy young players and we need to simplify our style and get the ball forward quicker. He needs to realise that a pass that goes more than ten yards forward is really not that bad !!!

**** it, play a front 3 of Benteke, Bowery and Weimann and just have Bannan lump it up to them, the two big fellas should win enough in the air against a weakened Southampton defence and Weimann has the movement and positional sence to be in the right place to get on the end of the knock downs.

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I do not want Villa to become a Stoke but if it means winning when we are where we are then JFDI !

Benteke is top draw at winning knock ons for others to feed off so lump it up to him and get everybody crashing in behind him ...... we'd score 4 or 5 no problem !!!

He is - for whatever reason - a very intensely nervous character who plays with brittle confidence and lacks self belief big time. What we saw for twenty minutes last night was the real CNZ which is a player who is not only confident in running at players but one who is confident enough to get an effort on goal at the end of it. In the second half we saw the CNZ we've seen 99% of his time here which is a player who can and will run at players but who lacks the confidence to pull the trigger or to make a decision about who to cross to or how ..... that CNZ will simply run with his head down until he gets crowded out with nothing to show for his efforts.

Lambert needs to somehow get into his head and say I don't want you to pass, I want you to run, beat one or two but then get your head up and shoot. If you shoot and miss, get up and do it again next time and the time after and keep doing it because goals will come.

He needs self belief and he needs the encouragement to play his game with the fear of failure somehow removed.

Just as rubbish as Bannan

Should not be playing Premier League football

Bannan can still do a job as part of a decent midfield but he can't be that midfield in its entirety. He is good at what he does but he's no all-rounder. Delph, on the other hand, is evidently not good at anything in any circumstance !

I'm sure he's a nice guy but he is not good enough for Villa nor the Premiership and probably not even the Championship. We signed a frighteningly good, young, confident midfielder who made a name by running the ball out of midfield with pace and we now have a hesitant, frightened and very limited holding midfielder who can't do any of the things needed to perform that role.

He can't pass, can't tackle, can't run, can't read the game at this level and is massively out of his depth.

He must not wear a Villa shirt ever again.

The players let us down yesterday - not Lambert.

Several players - again - had their worst games in Villa shirts including most, if not all, of the defence and, more than anyone, Delph in midfield.

It was an open game of end to end football and we were stuck with two guys in midfield who lacked any ambition or creativity and who did little more than take the ball of the defenders, run round in circles and then give it them back under pressure.

The players are letting us down here and need to shape up !

Weimann was holding his groin at one point in the 2nd half hope it isn't too bad.

According to Twitter, it wasn't his groin ..... he was just knocking one out after scoring !!!

Too many players were total garbage today. Ireland, Lichaj, Benteke, Bennett, Bannan all had their worst games in a Villa shirt simultaneously.

Easy to blame Lambert but when players fail to pass ten yards to a Villa player then what hope has he got ?!!!

I feel physically sick for Forest fans ..... no football fans deserve this !

The other problem for Westwood was that our players seem to have reverted to their approach of standing there like garden gnomes when they don't have the ball. Makes it awfully hard to pass to a team mate when they don't want the ball.

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The biggest diference between the sides was that Spurs players wanted the ball and moved into spaces to make themselves good and easy options to pass too. Most of our side made passes and then just stood there with a "phew - at least I didn't give it away" demeanour.

We need players - like Ireland - who demand the ball and who are not afraid to run with it and take players on rather than simply pass it back to somebody else and leave them with the responsibility to do something.

That midfield today was asking to be run over

THIS THIS and ................ THIS !

Ridiculous tactics and line-up that would even make McLeish look smart in comparison !

Holman up top with Benteke ? When did Holman become a striker ?

Delph is Championship standard at best ..... why do we keep persevering with him ?

El Ahmadi gobbed off about being a tough guy and he's a wimp. He has no engine, he strolls around and doesn't track back, he can't tackle or pass and I really doubt Walsall would touch him if we offered him on a free !!!

We never played 3-5-2, we played 5-3-2 and were totally over-run in midfield as a result. El Ahmadi and Delph were awful - as in below Championship level and they really need to be replaced.

Delph has had enough chances and has proved himself to be below Premiership quality and, despite mouthing off about being a tough guy, El Ahmadi is just way off the quality needed at any level in the UK.

Fear of meltdown ?

No it did'nt! If you were there, you probably would have run on the pitch too after that game. Villa had just got to a Wembley final for the first time in 10 years. It was a fantastic moment that I'll never forget, and that's all that matters. I couldnt give two shits about what anyone may or may not have thought.

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What a stipid post !!!